Airspace Experience Technologies (ASX), an aviation technology start-up, is re-imagining personal air transportation with the mission to offer urban commuters a cleaner, faster and affordable transportation alternative in support of Uber Technologies Urban Air Mobility programme, UberAir.

Airspace Experience Technologies (ASX), an aviation technology start-up, is re-imagining personal air transportation with the mission to offer urban commuters a cleaner, faster and affordable transportation alternative in support of Uber Technologies Urban Air Mobility programme, UberAir.

From its headquarters at the historic Detroit City Airport, the ASX team is developing an electric vertical take off and landing tilt-wing (eVTOL) aircraft affectionately dubbed MOBi-One. The goal is to produce and operate fleets of safe and reliable aircraft that will make smart cities even smarter, vastly reduce commute times while producing zero operational emissions.

ASX is launching a side-by-side Regulation CF and Regulation D Series Seed funding campaign with its partner SeedInvest, a leading equity crowdfunding platform that offers its network of investors vetted investment opportunities. Proceeds of the seed round will be used to acquire key automotive EV technology, build a series of full-scale prototype and initiate Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification.

"SeedInvest is disrupting the financial services industry just as ASX is disrupting mobility, and we were proud to be accepted through SeedInvest's rigorous evaluation process," said Jon Rimanelli, Co-Founder and CEO of ASX.

ASX is planning to deliver 2,500 aircraft by 2025, with cargo deliveries starting in 2023 and passenger service by 2024.Based on a recent study, traffic congestion cost Americans nearly $87 billion in 2018, or an average of $1,348 per driver.The solution is elevating commuters to the sky with electric vertical take-off and landing aircrafts.

Founded in 2017 by Jon Rimanelli, Dr. Anita Sengupta, and JP Yorro, the ASX team is made up of seasoned NASA technologists, aviation and automotive experts, market enablers, and logistics leaders.

ASX has built and flight-tested five subscale concept vehicles, and achieved a major milestone in in the fourth quarter of 2018 by optimising controls and demonstrating vertical and plane mode flight. ASX is now ready to begin the full-scale production design and commercial certification process for MOBi-One.

"Our vision is to move you up to five times faster than driving for the same cost per mile — giving you more time to be productive," said Rimanelli. "By leveraging our deep knowledge of automotive EV technology, mass production, aviation and deep space reliability, we will make personal air travel more affordable for everyone."

Equipped with proven zero-emission electric propulsion and broadband 'V2X' vehicle-to-vehicle connectivity, a fully-electric MOBi-One will deliver an estimated range of 100 miles and a cruising speed of 150 mph, giving it the ability to reduce a 60 minute commute to 15 minutes or less for the price of a ground vehicle for hire (one pilot, four passengers). With a hybrid propulsion system, MOBi-One is capable of up to 300 miles of range for regional travel and cargo utilizing the nation's general aviation airports.

"Studies estimate that by 2035, global air travel based inspections, goods, and passenger services has the potential to be a $74 billion market," said Sengupta, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer at ASX. "Passenger transportation will be more than 40% of that market opportunity."

Babson College partners with Toyota Mobility Foundation to develop new mobility models

Babson College, the pioneer in entrepreneurship education, and the Toyota Mobility Foundation (TMF), Toyota’s dedicated global foundation to help more people go more places, announced a two-year partnership aimed at accelerating the development of creative mobility solutions that could be deployed in communities in the United States and beyond.

Babson College partners with Toyota Mobility Foundation to develop new mobility models

Babson College, the pioneer in entrepreneurship education, and the Toyota Mobility Foundation (TMF), Toyota’s dedicated global foundation to help more people go more places, announced a two-year partnership aimed at accelerating the development of creative mobility solutions that could be deployed in communities in the United States and beyond.

The Toyota Mobility Foundation will provide $2 million toward the partnership with Babson to identify real-world mobility issues facing a local community and create a sustainable plan that would address that challenge.

"Babson is thrilled to partner with the Toyota Mobility Foundation to explore innovative solutions to urban transportation problems and new ways to increase mobility within our communities," said Babson President Kerry Healey. "We look forward to bringing the full power of entrepreneurial thinking―from our faculty, students, alumni, and research centers―to this important initiative."

Mobility innovations increasingly empower people to fulfill their potential, reduce limitations, and expand possibilities for every member of society.

Combining Babson's entrepreneurial mindset, known for navigating the future, identifying new opportunities and finding creative solutions to problems, with the mobility know-how and expertise of TMF, Babson and TMF will form a collaborative for idea generation, practical education, venture creation, and growth to better understand and utilise human-centered design for future mobility. Through the partnership, Babson and TMF will design, launch, and scale mobility models to solve on-the-ground problems, while collaborating with select cities to ensure functionality within local communities.

"At Toyota, our vision is to lead the future mobility society, enriching lives around the world with the safest and most responsible ways of moving people, and this partnership with Babson is a wonderful opportunity to innovate in the United States," said Akio Toyoda MBA'82, Chairman of the Board for the Toyota Mobility Foundation, and President and member of the board of Toyota Motor Corporation. "Babson's resourceful spirit and ability to develop talent through their entrepreneurial mindset makes the college and its students ideal partners as we continue to explore the future of mobility."

Leveraging Toyota Mobility Foundation's expertise in the broader mobility space, the partnership will build on Babson's learning methods. The curriculum will include mentoring, business model testing, capital planning, and pitching. Participants will connect directly with socially driven community leaders from both local government and civil society to tackle actual challenges and to test new solutions.

The two-year partnership will launch in Fall 2019. It will include evaluation and selection of interested local communities, implementation of courses with fieldwork, a general needs assessment, problem framework development, identification of initial opportunities, and engagement with community stakeholders. Continued work will include solution generation and selection, solution delivery and diffusion, and iterative entrepreneurial experimentation.

11-12 June 2019Coventry, United Kingdom

Alliance Ventures partners with Plug and Play China to accelerate automotive start-ups

Alliance Ventures, the strategic venture capital fund that invests in technology start-ups for Groupe Renault, Nissan Motor Company and Mitsubishi Motors, announced a partnership with Plug and Play China to cooperate on open innovation in the world’s second-largest economy.

Alliance Ventures partners with Plug and Play China to accelerate automotive start-ups

Alliance Ventures, the strategic venture capital fund that invests in technology start-ups for Groupe Renault, Nissan Motor Company and Mitsubishi Motors, announced a partnership with Plug and Play China to cooperate on open innovation in the world’s second-largest economy.

"China is leading innovation in the automotive industry," said Francois Dossa, Alliance Global Vice President, Ventures and Open Innovation; Chairman of Alliance Ventures. "By harnessing the expertise of Plug and Play China, we can gain access to start-ups and technologies that will transform the mobility experience."

Alliance Ventures and Plug and Play agreed to a three-year partnership in China that will benefit both groups. This latest agreement follows successful existing partnerships with Plug and Play both in Japan and in Silicon Valley. With access to Plug and Play China's peerless start-up network, Alliance Ventures' ability to identify and work with promising start-ups, carry out pilot projects, and acquire or invest in new technology opportunities will be turbo-charged. Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors will benefit through new business opportunities in the world's largest automotive market and access to cutting-edge, next-generation technologies.

As an anchor partner of Plug and Play China, Alliance Ventures will connect to Plug and Play's global innovation ecosystem through their twice-a-year acceleration program. The last investment by Alliance Ventures, PowerShare, an electric vehicle charging platform start-up based in China, was part of Plug and Play's Mobility Acceleration Program.

The Acceleration Programme's first session took place on March 26 and 27 in Shanghai (China) and focused on autonomous drive, the internet of cars, electrification and new mobility. More than 85 start-ups were qualified by Plug and Play China with nearly 25 participating in the on-site pitch session. Alliance Ventures admitted 10 start-ups to participate in the three-month Acceleration Programme.

"We are delighted to partner with the world's number one automotive alliance and bring the scale of their platform to our members. Alliance Ventures recognised the efficiency of our mobility innovation platform and together we will look for opportunities to transform the mobility experience for people in China and around the world," concluded Peter Xu, Managing Partner and Chief Executive Officer of Plug and Play China.

Daimler Financial Services creates a new “Digital and Mobility Solutions” division on the Board of Management

Daimler Financial Services AG is strategically realigning key areas of its business by establishing a new division on the Board of Management. Effective June1, 2019, Jörg Lamparter is poised to become a new Member of the Daimler Financial Services AG Board of Management for “Digital and Mobility Solutions”, leading the Digital and Mobility Services.

Daimler Financial Services creates a new “Digital and Mobility Solutions” division on the Board of Management

Daimler Financial Services AG is strategically realigning key areas of its business by establishing a new division on the Board of Management. Effective June1, 2019, Jörg Lamparter is poised to become a new Member of the Daimler Financial Services AG Board of Management for “Digital and Mobility Solutions”, leading the Digital and Mobility Services.

As Head of Daimler Mobility Services GmbH, Lamparter was previously responsible for mobility services. At the end of 2018, Daimler AG had around 31 million customers worldwide in this growth area. Lamparter also played a major role in spearheading the joint venture with BMW Group in January 2019, bringing Daimler's mobility products and services – car2go, moovel and mytaxi – under the newly created company Your Now. In addition, Lamparter will in future be responsible for the complete digitisation of products and processes within the company. He will also remain Head of Daimler Mobility Services GmbH.

"In Jörg Lamparter, we are gaining a recognised expert in digital mobility services as a new Member of the Board of Management. Within Daimler Financial Services AG he will play a fundamental role in merging the growing fields of digitisation and mobility," stated Klaus Entenmann, Chairman of Daimler Financial Services AG.

With these personnel and organisational changes, the company is preparing for its renaming as Daimler Mobility AG in July. Franz Reiner, currently Member of the Board of Management for the Europe Region and Chairman of Mercedes-Benz Bank AG in Germany, will become the company's new Chairman on June 1, 2019, succeeding Klaus Entenmann, who will retire at the end of the year.

In his function as Head of Mobility Services at Daimler Financial Services AG, Jörg Lamparter will be responsible for areas that will change the future of mobility. An important milestone was January 31, 2019, which saw the successful completion of the mobility joint ventures between Daimler AG and the BMW Group in the areas of ride-hailing (Free Now), car-sharing (Share Now), multimodal mobility (Reach Now), parking (Park Now) and charging (Charge Now).

As Head of Mobility Services, Lamparter will also be responsible for autonomous services, digital mobility solutions, urban mobility concepts and for the management of portfolio investments in several companies, such as Blacklane, FlixMobility, Taxify, Turo, Via, among others. These topics will continue to report under Lamparter.

Lamparter, a technical business economist graduate, joined the former Daimler-Benz AG in 1996 and has held various positions in Germany and abroad. In the early 2000s, he played a central role in establishing an internet-based car financing startup in the US. From June 2006 until the end of 2011, Lamparter was responsible for setting up and developing Mercedes-Benz Financial Services Canada Corporation outside Toronto, Canada.

Following, he became Director Sales & Marketing, managing the sales and marketing activities for the Passenger Car and Commercial Vehicle unit of Daimler Financial Services AG in Stuttgart until September 2013. From July 2013 to February 2016 he was Head of Sales at Mercedes-Benz Bank AG. Between March 2016 and October 2017, Lamparter was CEO of the moovel Group, responsible for all activities of the moovel Group (Stuttgart) and moovel North America (Portland, Oregon).

Bird Introduces its new e-Scooter, Bird One

Bird announced Bird One—the newest vehicle in its fleet that riders can purchase or enjoy on the global shared network.

Bird Introduces its new e-Scooter, Bird One

Bird announced Bird One—the newest vehicle in its fleet that riders can purchase or enjoy on the global shared network.

Designed and engineered in the US by Bird's vehicle team, Bird One is the culmination of tens of millions of rides, cutting edge product design and engineering, safety certifications, and rigorous road tests. Bird One will also be available for people to ride as part of Bird's shared fleet of e-scooters.

Building on its innovation roots and commitment to safety and sustainability, Bird also announced that it will migrate its fleet of shared e-scooters to commercial-grade vehicles such as the Bird Zero and Bird One. The micromobility company will use its M365 model for monthly personal rentals and is no longer purchasing the Ninebot ES. The move aims to provide consumers using shared e-scooters with commercial grade, built for purpose and sustainable vehicles on the road.

"Nearly two years ago, we launched our sharing business with retail, consumer e-scooters that lasted about three months in the sharing environment. In 2018, we introduced the industry's first scooter designed and engineered specifically for the sharing market, Bird Zero. Resulting from the commercial-grade aspects of Bird Zero, it lasts over 10 months in the sharing environment on average and is now profitable due to its increased lifespan and battery capacity," said Travis VanderZanden, founder and CEO of Bird.

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Global identity verification provider Onfido announced that it has partnered with Mobility-as-a-Service platform Drover. Onfido enables Drover to quickly and easily get new users on the road, while delivering the trust and security that’s integral to its growing platform.

Global identity verification provider Onfido announced that it has partnered with Mobility-as-a-Service platform Drover. Onfido enables Drover to quickly and easily get new users on the road, while delivering the trust and security that’s integral to its growing platform.

Founded in 2015, Drover is a smarter alternative to car leasing and buying, offering flexible car subscriptions for an all-in-one monthly payment. It began life as a service to provide Uber drivers with fast and flexible car subscriptions so that they could start working faster, and subsequently launched its consumer product in 2018. Drover's goal is to make getting a new car as easy and enjoyable as possible – it promises a 100% online sign-up experience, with cars delivered in as little as 48 hours.

With identity verification being an insurance requirement for Drover, it turned to Onfido to deliver a speedy and secure solution. Drover users simply take a photo of their government-issued identity document; Onfido then checks that the government ID is not fraudulent, and cross-references it against a range of international databases. Onfido's machine learning-based technology ensures the process can be completed within seconds, so Drover can onboard more users with less manual intervention and resource.

Drover chose Onfido to provide its identity verification because of its superior user experience. Onfido's smooth and simple workflow means that there is no requirement for new users to provide additional documentation, or for Drover to spend unnecessary time and money on manual review. As Drover continues to scale its offering, Onfido's ability to offer additional assurance through its facial checks was also an important deciding factor.

Felix Leuschner, CEO at Drover, said: "As we grow our user base, being able to consistently deliver the speed our users want with the security they need is crucial. Onfido helps us do both, so we can protect our platform without impacting on user experience."

Husayn Kassai, CEO of Onfido, said: "We're proud to be supporting Drover as they scale. Balancing security against a smooth user experience is a challenge for many businesses, but our AI technology means we're able to help Drover deliver both. Reducing risk and building trust is core to both of our businesses, so the partnership is a natural fit."

Toyota Financial Services takes up majority stake in Faxi

London-based Faxi has been pioneering a concept called ‘incentivised carpooling’. The start-up developed a unique app and software platform to tackle commuting related concerns for the benefit of companies, employees and cities.

Toyota Financial Services takes up majority stake in Faxi

London-based Faxi has been pioneering a concept called ‘incentivised carpooling’. The start-up developed a unique app and software platform to tackle commuting related concerns for the benefit of companies, employees and cities.

Through the app, users can find and connect with colleagues who share the same route to work and commute at similar times. It allows companies to verify employee carpooling in real time and to offer incentives and rewards, such as priority parking, to car poolers.

These remuneration policies have proven to be successful: one UK based customer increased co-worker carpooling from under 10 to over 200 passengers and drivers per month in just six months.

In 2018, driven by a customer-focused approach, Toyota Financial Services (TFS) decided to start working with Faxi for the development of a Toyota branded carpooling platform to offer incentivised carpooling in Europe. Toyota currently runs several projects across 6 cities in Europe and 3 around the globe.

Seeing similar needs across cities in Europe, TFS has now decided to invest in Faxi, becoming the majority shareholder. Aioi Nissay Dowa Europe / Toyota Insurance Management also invested, joining existing shareholder the Indigo group. The ambition is to scale the Faxi platform across Europe and beyond, expanding the current number of cities and projects.

Doug Gillies Managing Director of Toyota Financial Services (UK) PLC, said, : "In addition to delivering sales support for environmentally friendly hybrid electric technology, Toyota Financial Services is engaging in new mobility solutions. Building on the partnership with Faxi, TFS decided to invest in Faxi to introduce technology to reduce single occupancy vehicles and the congestion and emissions that they cause. This is a game-changing technology and we're excited to get behind it with our brand."

Tony Lynch, Chief Executive and Co-Founder of Faxi, said, : "Large organisations across the globe have workplace parking issues. In addition to benefiting companies by solving this concern, employees are encouraged to carpool with co-workers by for example earning a reserved parking space. Ultimately, if more people carpool, this can have a considerable downsizing effect on the number of cars on the road, benefitting an entire community."

With the patent pending, the Faxi technology brings people safely together to share common journeys. It helps communities of people to share the costs of their carpool simply and fairly, by reimbursing the driver for fuel and wear and tear.

By using smart phone telemetry to measure the proximity of the driver and passengers, it can prove whether or not journeys have in fact been shared. This not only allows organisations to offer specific incentives, such as prioritised parking or other financial benefits. It also provides valuable data to local and central governments on the congestion and environmental savings that are being generated by carpooling.